you can't eat like you've always eaten and keep the weight off

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zebasschick
zebasschick Posts: 909 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
almost everyone i know who lost weight (including me earlier in life) thought of weight loss as a temporary thing. everyone i know personally dieted to lose weight, then went right back to the same family dinners and breakfasts, work friend lunches, TV snacking that put extra weight on them in the first place, and not amazingly, gained the weight right back.

what's worse, most of them felt like dire failures at that point, insulting themselves or feeling like nothing they could do would work.

and although most of me has always known that if i eat like i used to eat, i'll again weigh what i used to weigh, some part of my emotions still didn't grasp this till a couple weeks ago - even though i haven't been eating "normal" meals for years, i still felt like at some point, i'd go back to what my family and friends consider normal - and btw, all but one of them is significantly taller than i, so it's not like i can keep up with them on calories without being overweight.

i occasionally see people on this board who say they can't weigh and log their food at family dinners - it's just too much to expect. so i thought i'd put this out there: if you want to lose weight (or gain it), you can't do it by doing what you've always done and eating what you (and your friends/family) have always eaten. it's simple biology.

best of luck to everyone on MFP to meet their goals and maintain them!

Replies

  • Lildarlinz
    Lildarlinz Posts: 276 Member
    edited September 2023
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    I wanted to add my bit of advice and positivity aswell…

    Around about Wednesday I weighed 11 stone 6
    Today (Sunday my official weigh in day) I weighed 11 stone 7
    YES it’s water weight! Don’t get disheartened…keep going and keep counting calories!

    I agree with the OP! It does work if you stick with it…no more fast foods and takeaways…swap them for lean meals or meals you make at home with fresh meats that are high in protein and veggies that fill you for longer :)

    Yes you can still have treats…
    How about make your own pizzas and count the calories as you go along
    Or make your own desserts?
    Lots of recipes to follow for fakeaways on TikTok,Google or YouTube I’ve found
    So your not missing out

    And the key thing is willpower and determination :) the power to say no

    I did it yesterday at a family BBQ…everyone drinking alcoholic beverages round me and I said no…I’m on my calorie counting and I’m sticking to it and I will have a beer when I want to treat myself in the next few weeks :)

    Sending love and good luck to everyone on their journeys! 💙💙💙💙💙 sprinkling loveeeeeee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 909 Member
    Options
    Lildarlinz wrote: »
    I wanted to add my bit of advice and positivity aswell…

    Around about Wednesday I weighed 11 stone 6
    Today (Sunday my official weigh in day) I weighed 11 stone 7
    YES it’s water weight! Don’t get disheartened…keep going and keep counting calories!

    I agree with the OP! It does work if you stick with it…no more fast foods and takeaways…swap them for lean meals or meals you make at home with fresh meats that are high in protein and veggies that fill you for longer :)

    Yes you can still have treats…
    How about make your own pizzas and count the calories as you go along
    Or make your own desserts?
    Lots of recipes to follow for fakeaways on TikTok,Google or YouTube I’ve found
    So your not missing out

    And the key thing is willpower and determination :) the power to say no

    I did it yesterday at a family BBQ…everyone drinking alcoholic beverages round me and I said no…I’m on my calorie counting and I’m sticking to it and I will have a beer when I want to treat myself in the next few weeks :)

    Sending love and good luck to everyone on their journeys! 💙💙💙💙💙 sprinkling loveeeeeee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

    i agree with so much of what you say, but i have no will power. making and eating homemade popsicles gets me through times when i just GOTTA have something sweet and tasty. it's easier than white-knuckling it.

    also you can have an occasional personal sized pizza (like at blaze) or a couple slices of a large pizza or a slice of birthday cake or a scoop of ice cream without falling off the wagon. you can cut calories from other meals or go for a long walk. or you can just figure if your weekly calories are fine, a single 600 calorie splurge isn't a huge deal, always depending on your deficit. if you're eating a 250 calorie daily deficit, that's a 1,750 calorie per week deficit, so if you eat an extra 600 calories, you'll be eating a 1,150 calorie deficit for the week. you'd still lose weight - just slower.

    and depending on what you eat, you can fit a serving of potato chips or a pop tart (or even better, a brownie) into your daily meals. a large dinner with turkey or beef and gravy, mashed potatoes with tons of cream and butter or rice with sauce plus a vegetable drowned in cheese plus a salad with 400 calories of dressing - not so much.
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 909 Member
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    tomcustombuilder wrote: »
    Like Jean-Claude Van Damme once said when he was at his peak, “ if you can’t have a cheeseburger once a week than what’s the use”.

    You have to structure your diet around a lifelong adherence. You can’t completely eliminate things you love, you just have to be smart about things. Smart meaning knowing the balance of enjoying life while being healthy and as fit as possible.

    i hadn't heard that quote. it's a good one!

    i'd say your definition is pretty darn smart. the catch is, learning that stuff takes a while and takes the right tools, but it's well worth the effort to learn as it will last and help for your entire life.
  • Lildarlinz
    Lildarlinz Posts: 276 Member
    Options
    zebasschick wrote: »
    Lildarlinz wrote: »
    I wanted to add my bit of advice and positivity aswell…

    Around about Wednesday I weighed 11 stone 6
    Today (Sunday my official weigh in day) I weighed 11 stone 7
    YES it’s water weight! Don’t get disheartened…keep going and keep counting calories!

    I agree with the OP! It does work if you stick with it…no more fast foods and takeaways…swap them for lean meals or meals you make at home with fresh meats that are high in protein and veggies that fill you for longer :)

    Yes you can still have treats…
    How about make your own pizzas and count the calories as you go along
    Or make your own desserts?
    Lots of recipes to follow for fakeaways on TikTok,Google or YouTube I’ve found
    So your not missing out

    And the key thing is willpower and determination :) the power to say no

    I did it yesterday at a family BBQ…everyone drinking alcoholic beverages round me and I said no…I’m on my calorie counting and I’m sticking to it and I will have a beer when I want to treat myself in the next few weeks :)

    Sending love and good luck to everyone on their journeys! 💙💙💙💙💙 sprinkling loveeeeeee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

    i agree with so much of what you say, but i have no will power. making and eating homemade popsicles gets me through times when i just GOTTA have something sweet and tasty. it's easier than white-knuckling it.

    also you can have an occasional personal sized pizza (like at blaze) or a couple slices of a large pizza or a slice of birthday cake or a scoop of ice cream without falling off the wagon. you can cut calories from other meals or go for a long walk. or you can just figure if your weekly calories are fine, a single 600 calorie splurge isn't a huge deal, always depending on your deficit. if you're eating a 250 calorie daily deficit, that's a 1,750 calorie per week deficit, so if you eat an extra 600 calories, you'll be eating a 1,150 calorie deficit for the week. you'd still lose weight - just slower.

    and depending on what you eat, you can fit a serving of potato chips or a pop tart (or even better, a brownie) into your daily meals. a large dinner with turkey or beef and gravy, mashed potatoes with tons of cream and butter or rice with sauce plus a vegetable drowned in cheese plus a salad with 400 calories of dressing - not so much.

    Awww zee!
    It’s very hard in this heat…I feel for you!
    My rocket lollies have been like a god send to me :)
    I have work this morning too! But I am so tired due to the heat I haven’t been able to sleep :( xx
    It’s really icky isn’t it :(
  • Lildarlinz
    Lildarlinz Posts: 276 Member
    edited September 2023
    Options
    tomcustombuilder wrote: »
    Like Jean-Claude Van Damme once said when he was at his peak, “ if you can’t have a cheeseburger once a week than what’s the use”.

    You have to structure your diet around a lifelong adherence. You can’t completely eliminate things you love, you just have to be smart about things. Smart meaning knowing the balance of enjoying life while being healthy and as fit as possible.

    I like that quote too :)
    It was more about the alcohol for me though..with my previous posts :)
    I was quite proud of myself :)
    I had a beef burger on the night :) when I was in the shade :) it was a scorcher :) xx
    I had just took my own meals..I had a cool sandwich as it was too hot to even stand at the bbq let alone eat from it 😁
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,923 Member
    edited September 2023
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    A few can, but most can't.

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